Decrease in breast cancer incidence linked to drop in hormone replacementApril 19, 2007A special report in the April 19, 2007 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine concludes that the sharp decline in breast-cancer incidence in 2003, followed by a relative stabilization at a lower rater in 2004, is most likely related to the first report of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) (JAMA 2002; 288:321-333. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women"¦) and the ensuing drop in hormone-replacement therapy among postmenopausal women. The report shows that the age adjusted incidence rate of breast cancer in women in the United States fell sharply by 6.7% in 2003, as compared with the rate in 2002. Data from 2004 showed a leveling-off relative to the 2003 rate with little additional decrease. The decrease was evident only in women who were 50 years of age or older and was more evident in cancers that were estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive than in those that were ER-negative. The reports' lead author is Peter Ravdin, M.D., of the Anderson Cancer Center, and included investigators from the National Cancer Institute and the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed). Rowan Chlebowski, MD, PhD, a principal investigator/oncologist at LA BioMed, and the only researcher to participate in the 2002 reports of the trial evaluating estrogen plus progestin (which led to the decrease in menopausal hormone therapy use in 2003) and the 2006-07 studies outlining the subsequent decrease in breast cancer, states: "While the cause of the reduction is not definitive, the sustained decrease in new breast cancer diagnosed in the U.S. is a remarkable event. We estimate 44,000 fewer breast cancers over those two years (2003-04) and thousands more in the coming decades." Researchers looked at several variables that could be responsible for such a decline. They looked for flaws in the data itself, changes in reproductive factors, changes in mammographic screening, changes in environmental exposures, changes in diet, and changes in use of hormone-replacement therapy. Only the use of hormone-replacement therapy changed substantially, with the total number of prescriptions for the two most commonly prescribed forms of hormone-replacement therapy in the United States-Premarin and Prempro-having their steepest declines starting in 2002 and particularly in 2003 (62 million scripts in 2000, 61 million in 2001, 47 million in 2002, 24 million in 2003, 21 million in 2004, and 18 million in 2005). The reduction of hormone-replacement therapy could have caused a decreased incidence of breast cancer by direct hormonal effects on the growth of occult breast cancers, a change that would have affected predominantly ER-positive tumors. The rapidity of the change suggests that clinically occult breast cancers stopped progressing or even regressed soon after the discontinuation of the therapy. The hypotheses is that hormone withdrawal can rapidly influence the growth of breast cancer is supported by anecdotal reports of regression of breast cancer after discontinuation of hormone replacement therapy. Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Breast Cancer Current Events and Breast Cancer News Articles Researchers Identify Role of Gene in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis. UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor. Fertility procedures need not delay breast cancer treatment for younger women A new study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that breast cancer patients under 40 years old who undergo fertility preservation do not face a significant delay in the treatment of their disease when their care is coordinated in a timely fashion. Coffee break: Compound brewing new research in colon, breast cancer A compound in coffee has been found to be estrogenic in studies by Texas AgriLife Research scientists. Drugs to treat anemia in cancer patients linked to thromboembolism Medications frequently given to cancer patients to reduce their risk of anemia are associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, according to new research led by Dawn Hershman, M.D, M.S., co-director of the breast cancer program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Discovery in worms by Queen's researchers points to more targeted cancer treatment Researchers at Queen's University have found a link between two genes involved in cancer formation in humans, by examining the genes in worms. The groundbreaking discovery provides a foundation for how tumor-forming genes interact, and may offer a drug target for cancer treatment. FDA approved leukemia drugs shows promise in ovarian cancer cells The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found. Carnegie Mellon researchers link health-care debate to risk of dying in US and Europe The current health care debate in the United States is complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures, lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated. Scientists uncover new key to the puzzle of hormone therapy and breast cancer The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer. Breast density associated with increased risk of cancer recurrence A new study finds that women treated for breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence if they have dense breasts. Published in the December 15, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study's results indicate that breast cancer patients with dense breasts may benefit from additional therapies following surgery, such as radiation. More Breast Cancer Current Events and Breast Cancer News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||